Author: Prince Of Petworth

I was reading DCist and came across this post from their cousin site Gothamist. The post and comments debate “Old Naughty NYC Vs. Current Boring, Safe NYC”. The debate seemed truly ridiculous to me. It is almost as though they are debating out of pure boredom. Or, is it a case of being careful what you wish for?

But it hit me that we here in Petworth can easily be having this debate 5 years or so from now. I can see it so clearly. Oh, Petworth was so much better before the new condos and Starbucks etc. Hell, I can even see myself saying some of these things. But it is ridiculous, right? We obviously want to live in a safe and clean community. Or do we if the price to pay is a certain disneyfication of the neighborhood? Can we have a clean and safe community without disneyfication?

Until these questions are definitively answered, rest assured I will continue to complain, no I prefer to say, I will continue to observe…

I’d like to echo a commenter who lamented the violence in our community. Two Petworth residents were involved in a shooting this weekend at the H2O nightclub in the South West Waterfront. One lived on the 500 block of Shepherd and one lived on the 500 block of Webster. The Post says “it was a neighborhood dispute that probably started before the men got to the club.” Read the full report here. Tragic. But those of you who have lived in the neighborhood for a while know what this means – get ready for reprisals. It pains me to write that but it is the truth. This insanity reminds me a lot of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Once there is a shooting, then there is another one, there is always pay back. Like St. Exupery would say – it is a vicious circle. An endless cycle of violence that will not stop without providing the youth a sense of hope. Senseless violence on a weekend where we are supposed to be remembering the soldiers, sailors and marines who gave their lives for this country…tragic on so many levels.

This is the only place in the world I have lived where people say hello to me on the street. I’m not even talking about neighbors but complete strangers. This is the rule not the exception. My girlfriend had a friend visiting from NY last weekend and she was amazed by how many people said hello to us on our walk to Domku. We must have said hello to at least 5 people. It is really remarkable how friendly everybody is here.

The Washington Post incorrectly reported a drug bust as taking place on the 4200 block of 4th Street, NW but in reality it took place on 4th Street, SE. Jaysus. So I apologize for the below post.

The Express still has it listed as:

» PETWORTH: “Task Force Targets 4th Street Mob” [WaPo]

This is so embarassing. I count on the Post, which is one of the best newspapers in the country to have their facts straight. Again, I apologize for the confusion.

The Washington Post reports that a task force of federal and local law enforcement have arrested 9 drug dealers from a gang called the 4th Street Mob. Yeah, that’s right 4th Street Mob as in 4th Street, NW as in right in the heart of lower Petworth.

The Post says: “The suspects were part of a group known as the 4th Street Mob, a long-standing drug crew that has sold multiple kilos of crack, cocaine and marijuana from its base in the 4200 block of 4th Street NW, according to police and FBI officers. The group has been “shut down for business,” the law enforcement officials said.”

Holy cow, the 4200 block of 4th Street is right near where I live. Yikes. Let’s hope this is a debilitating blow and not merely a nuissance for these dealers.

As I was walking back home from the metro I passed Quincy Street and saw what looked to be from straight out of a movie or bad 70s detective show. There was a woman walking who was dressed next to nothing, practically falling out, hard to explain but certainly not someone on an evening stroll. She was, I realized, a prostitute. It was as though a caricature of a prostitute was walking in front of me- barely any clothes, super high heels, etc. And I was shocked, not because it was a prostitute but because I had never seen one in Petworth before. Anyway, as I stare incredulously, I notice what I only assumed to be her pimp two steps behind her yelling at her. It wasn’t screaming, more like controlled yelling. He didn’t have a big fluffy hat nor goldfish in platform shoes but it was unmistakable. They kept walking at a very brisk pace east on Quincy. And I thought to myself, holy cow, that is a pimp. It was almost like seeing a celebrity in a weird way. I had never seen a pimp before. I had seen pimps on tv but never in real life. At this point I was expecting to hear the theme music from the tv show ‘cops’ come on, you know “bad boys, bad boys, what they gonna do…”. Sorry, the point of this story is that I think I saw a prosititute and her pimp and despite my initial fascination it made me very sad. Is this a problem in Petworth? Forget the legal argument for a minute. Just focus on what clearly is a dangerous situation. Has anyone else seen this before? Or am I extremely naive?